Conveyor apparatus



May 24, 1966 v, A. JUENGEL CONVEYOR APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet l FiledAug. 30, 1963 IN VEN TOR.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 30, 1963 INVENTOR.

May 24, 1966 v. A. JUENGEL CONVEYOR APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledAug. 30, 1963 May 24, 1966 v. A. JUENGEL.

CONVEYOR APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Aug. 30, 1963 INVENTOR. l//caf ,4. Jan/6.1%

BY k

:60W-H] M United States Patent O 3,252,563 CNVEYOR APPARATUS Victor A.durchgel, 421 Oakland Rond, Helena, Ark. Filed Ang. 30, 1963, Ser. No.305,731 Claims. (Cl. 98-82) This inventionrelates to conveyor apparatus,and more particularly to conveyor apparatus of the general typeembodying drivingv means having adjacent article-supporting rotatablemembers.

There are increasing needs for conveyors of this type, particularly Vinautomatic conveyorized systems. One form of typical prior conveyorcomprise-s rotatable rollers that are supported rirom the lrame toengage the side portions of the bottom of the article -being conveyed,and, between the rollers, a belt that frictionally engages the undersideof the article to drive the article along the conveyor on the rollers.The upper run of this belt is supported by a large number of relativelyclosely spaced rotatable supporting rollers, while the lower belt run issupported by widely spaced rotatable rollers. The upper run of the beltis urged upwardly to engage the underside of the article being conveyedwhen it is desired to move the article, and is disengaged from thearticle when it is desired that the 4article halt.

While such prior conveyors are Widely used, in geueral they haveundesirable features. They are undesirably complicated and expensive dueto the numerous rollers needed for supporting the upper run of the beltand the complicated mechanism needed for moving the upper belt -`nuntoward and away from the article being conveyed. The belt can be soiledby contaminants to which the lower run of the belt is exposed; the beltcan also be soiled by rollers supporting it, particularly if they arelubricated to reduce power requirements. Furthermore, complicationsdevelop when it is desired to move articles upwardly yat substantialangles of inclination, since the frictional forces which may besatisfactory to move articles along horizontal runs of the conveyor maynot be suilicient for steep angles of inclination. Moreover,direction-changing switches employing prior conveyor structures arecomplicated, expensive, and usually require considerable maintenance.

It is an object off the present invention to provide conveyor apparatusof the general type indicated above which is free of such disadvantages.Another object is the provision oi conveyor apparatus of such type whichmay be built at a relatively low cost, and which is simple and effectivein construction and operation, and requires little maintenance.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment in connection with thefollowing drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective view showing a conveyor system embodying theinvention, comprising two horizontal sections at dilierent levels joinedby an inclined section, sections providing a change in direction in thehorizontal plane, and a switching section permitting articles to beswitched to two diierent tracks in a generally horizontal plane;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale, as viewed from line2 2 of FIGURE l of the horizontal section of the conveyor, showing powermeans for driving the conveyor and also means for raising and loweringthe driving element;

FIGURE 3 is a cross section to a still larger scale, generally from line3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective diagrammatically illustrating another meansfor lowering the driving element of the conveyor to disengage it fromthe package;

ICC

FIGURE 5 is a perspective, to an enlarged scale, generally viewed fromline 5 5 of FIGURE 1, showing how the inclined section'of the conveyorcan be provided with a plurality of driving belts for increasedfriction, and how such belts can be driven;

FIGURE 6 is a detail, generally viewedfrom line 6 6 of FIGURE l, showingmeans for maintaining tension in the belts of adjacent sections;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective, generally viewed from line 7 7 of FIGURE 1,but to an enlarged scale, showing the arrangement of parts at twosections forming an angle in a generally horizontal plane;

FIGURE 8 is a detail to an enlarged scale, along line 8 8 of FIGURE 7,showing the upper and lower runs of the belt passing over adirection-changing pulley;

FIGURE 9 is a plan elevation, generally from line 9 9 of FIGURE 1,showing a switch; and

FIGURE l0 is a perspective showing how sections of the conveyor in theswitch can be moved downwardly to permit switching, the driving beltsbeing omitted for the sake of clearness in the drawing.

The conveyor apparatus of FIGURE l is intended to illustrate varioustypes of structures that may be used in a conveyor system embodying theinvention, but the invention is not limited to the particulararrangement shown. The illustrated apparatus comprises a horizontalsection A at a lower level, an inclined section B'extending from suchlower level to an upper level, another horizontal section C at thehigher level, a generally horizontal section D atsaid level inclined ina substantially horizontal plane at an angle of substantially 45 tosection C, another generally horizontal section E at the same level assections C and D but inclined in a generally horizontal plane at anangle of 45 to section D to form an angle of substantially with sectionC, and a switching section F having two sections F' and F, each of whichlies substantially in the same horizontal plane as sections C, D and E.

Horizontal section A, as shown in FIGURES l and 2, comprises a rigidframe 1 made up of generally parallel horizontal side rails 2 rigidlyxed to cross members 3 which are rigidly connected to and supported byspaced generally parallel vertical legs 4. Each side rail member 2carries freely rotatable rollers, as the wheels 5 in the illustratedembodiment, which may be of known construction and conventionallymounted on anti-friction bearings, not shown. Wheels 5 are spaced alongeach rail at such .intervals and in such relation to the wheels on theother rail member that they can support and move along the con` veyorarticles such as packages P within the range of sizes and weights forwhich the conveyor is designed. The wheels 5 are mounted so that theirupper surfaces project above the tops of the rails 2 suiliciently topermit the articles P to be carried free of the rails.

The driving means includes a drive unit 6 located lbetween the wheelsfor engaging and moving the articles carried by the Wheelslongitudinally of the conveyor. Unit 6 comprises a rigid tubular carriermember 7 that slidably supports and guides the upper and lower runs 8and 9 of an endless belt l0. The exterior of the upper portion of theillustrated carrier member is shaped to support and guide the upper run8 of the belt so it can travel longitudinally along the carrier memberin the direction of travel of the 4article conveyed. As shown in FIGURES2 and 3, this portion of the carrier member has a flat smoothbelt-supporting surface 12 and a raised belt-guiding shoulder 13 -ateach longitudinal edge of surface 12 to deiine a shallow channel 14 inwhich the upper run of the belt travels.

The lower or return run 9 of the belt travels inside the carrier member7 through opening 15 extending longitudinally through the carrier memberbelow its upper channel-shaped wall portion, the lower belt run beingslidably supported by the channel 16 dened by the lower wall portion ofthe carrier member. The lower belt run 9 thus travels in -a guided,enclosed path longitudinally of the carrier member in the direc-tionopposite to the direction of travel of the upper run 10. The carriermember 7 preferably is a seamless tube the wall of which is shaped toform the belt-carrying channels.

Belt 10 preferably is a rubber V-belt of trapezoidal cross sections Vandof conventional reinforced construction. It travels with its narroweredge down in the upper run so `its wider edge engages the .article beingconveyed, and with its wider edge in sliding engagement on the lowerrun.

The thickness of the belt 10, and the cross sectional size and shape ofthe carrier member 7`, are such as to permit the upper surface 17 of theupper run 8 -of the belt to project substantially above the uppermostportions 13 of the carrier to member 7, so it can contact the undersideof the `article supported by the wheels of the conveyor when the drivingmeans is raised to engage the article.

Carrier member 7 preferably is made of as many shorter lengths as arerequired to produce the desired total length of conveyor section, all ofthese shorter lengths being of identical cross section and preferablylocated end to end and aligned to provide smooth slidable supports forthe runs of belt 10.

Belt 10 is .positively driven from one end of carrier member 7 by asuit-able source of power. That for sec tion A, as shown in FIGURES 1and 2, comprises an electric motor 18 driving a grooved pulley aroundwhich the belt Ipasses, and a grooved idler pulle'y 21 rotatablyjournalled in a bracket 22 fixed to the underside of carrier member 7.The axes of the pulleys 19 and 21 are substantially horizontal andlocated below the upper beltsupporting surf-ace 12 of carrier member 7so that the top of driving pulley 19 carries and guides the upper run ofthe belt to the carrier member, and the top of the idler pulley 21engages and guides the lower run of the belt as it leaves the carriermember, while increasing the belt wrap on the driving pulley andprotecting the lower belt run from scraping as it leaves the carriermember.

At the other end of the carrier member (FIGURE the belt passes around agrooved pulley 23 journalled in a bracket 24 xed to the carrier member,-and over a grooved pulley 25 also journalled in bracket 24 to preventthe lower run of the belt from scraping as it enters carrier member 7and to increase -belt wrap on the pulley 23 when it is used for drivingpurposes as later described.

In Section A of the illustrated conveyor, the tubular carrier member 7is mounted on cross members 3 of the frame of section A o-f the conveyorso it is resiliently urged upwardly to cause the top surface 17 of theupper run 8 of belt 10 -to engage the undersides of articles P carriedby the conveyor when it is desired to propel the articles on theconveyor, and so it can be withdrawn downwardly to cause the upper runof the belt to disengage from the articles when it is desired to ceasepropelling them. To accomplish this, as show n in FIGURE 3, theunderside of the tubular carrier member 7 rigidly carries several spaceddownwardly extending studs 26, each of which extends through a llange 27of one of the cross members 3 of the frame, being prevented from tiltingrelatively to member 3 by an extension sleeve 28 fixed to the undersideof the flange. A compression-type spring 29 surrounds each stud 26,bearing between the upper surface of the cross member 3 and theunderside of the carrier member 7. These springs 29 resiliently upwardlyurge the carrier member 7 and belt 10 carried by it.

The means shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 for pulling the carrier member 7downwardly to disengage its belt 10 from the articles being conveyed maybe associated with one, several, or all of the studs 26 supporting acarrier member 7. As shown in FIGURE 3, it comprises lock nuts 31threaded on the end of the stud 26 projecting through the cross member 3and acting .as stop means, an actuating member 32 pivotally mounted at33 on the cross member 3 and having a flange 34 through which the stud26 projects and which bears against the lock nuts 31 and also having -adepending lever portion 35, a handle 36 pivotally mounted on the frameof the apparatus, and a tie rod 37 connecting the handle 36 to the leverportion 34 of the pull-down member 32. These parts are so proportionedthat when handle 36 is in one extreme position, shown in full lines,they cause the actuating member 32 to be in its uppermost position, thuspermitting the carrier member 7 to be urged upwardly by the spring 29toward its uppermost position; and when handle 36 is in its otherextreme position shown in broken lines the actuating member 32 and thecarrier member 7 are in their retracted positions as shown in 'brokenlines. The handle 36 has a portion 33 that bears against a bracket 39fixed to leg 4 of the conveyor frame, and shaped -to cause the handle 36to remain in either of the extreme positions to which it is manuallymoved.

The above parts are so arranged that when the carrier member 7 is in itsuppermost position and no article is on the conveyor, the upper surface17 of the top run 8 of the bel-'t 10 is located slightly above theconveying surface defined by the tops `of the wheels 5, as shown by lineX in FIGURE 3, the uppermost portions of the carrier member 7, shoulders13, preferably being well below such surface. When carrier member 7 ismoved to its retracted position, when the handle 36 is in the positionshown in broken lines, the upper surface 17 of the top run 8 of rthebelt is located a substantial distance below the conveying surface, asis shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3.

The parts are also so proportioned and the yforces exerted by thesprings 29 are such that when the carrier :member 7 is in its uppermostposition and upper surface 17 of the top run of belt 10 contacts theunderside of the article P carried by the wheels 5 of the conveyor, thebelt 10 and the member 7 carrying it are forced down slightly so thatthe upper run of the belt 10 frictionally engages the underside of thearticle P with sufficient force to move it along the conveyor.

This force need be only from about one and one-half to about threepercent of the weight `of the article being conveyed when the wheels 5are of the conventional antifriction type ordinarily used in conveyorsof this general type. Therefore, when the belt 10 is a rubber V belt asindicated above, only a slight upward force need bel exerted on theunderside of the article being conveyed to move it along the conveyor,the wheels carrying most 0f the load. For example, when the co-eflicientof sliding friction between the belt and article is about .75, the beltneed exert an upward force of only about two pounds per lineal foot ofbelt to move a thirty pound article along a level conveyor. While theupward force exerted by the belt is not critical, it is desirable not tohave an upward force that is much greater than necessary properly todrive the article along the conveyor. A greater upward force provideslittle if any additional benefit, while adding to the power requirementsand belt wear.

In illustrated section A -of the conveyor, retraction of the 4carriermember 7 tends pivotally to move the lefthand portion of the carriermember downwardly about the axis of a shaft 41 that rotatably engagesand supports the right hand end of the carrier member and itself isjournalled in journal members 42 carried by side rails of the conveyor.If section A of the conveyor is quite long, the entire carrier membercan be retracted, or the carrier member may be formed in one or moresegments which can be independently retracted if desired to halt thearticles being conveyed.

FIGURE 4 shows alternative means for retracting the carrier member 7,comprising a flexible strand 43 iconnected at its upper end to nut 44threaded on the end of for inclined section B. This section comprisestwo slide.

rails 2 rigidly connected by cross members 3 and supported from the doorby being connected at their lower ends to side rails 2 of section A(FIGURE 5) and at their upper ends to side rails 2 of section C (FIGURE6).

Inclined section B therefore has two drive units 6, each similar todrive units 6 of section A, to provide added driving force for conveyingarticles upwardly on the incline, and added braking force forcontrolling their movement down the incline. Each drive unit 6 comprisesa tubular carrier member 7, similar to carrier member 7 f section A,that carries one of the belts 46. Each belt 46 is genenally similar incross section to belt 10 of driving member 6 of section A, but ditrersin that the surface providing the upper surface of the upper run isformed with closely spaced transverse ridges 47 (FIGURES 5 and 6) toincrease frictional contact with the article conveyed. Each carriermember 7 of section B is resiliently supported and urged upwardly bybeing mounted on a plurality of downwardly extending studs 26 (FIGURE 5)that extend through cross members 3 of section B, such cross membershaving means as previously described to prevent tilting of the studs. 'Acompression spring 29 surrounds each stud and bears on the lower surfaceof the carrier member and the upper surface of the .cross member, andthe bottom end of each stud 26 has lock nuts 31 similar to those shownin FIGURE 3 to prevent studs 26 from being forced upwardly out of thecross members by the springs.

In illustrated section B the carriers 7 are not retractable to disengagethe upper surfaces of their belts from the lower surface of thearticlebeing conveyed, but are positioned so that the upper surfaces of the topruns of their belts are related to the wheels carried by the side rails2 as described above in connection with the belt of section A when itscarrier member is in its uppermost position as shown in full lines inFIGURE 3. However, `both carrier members 7 of section B may be providedwith means, such as that previously described, to retract the carriermembers so their belts disengage from the article being conveyed.

As shown in FIGURE 5, each belt 46 of each drive unit 6 of section B ismoved so its upper run travels in the direction of the arrows by apulley 51 around which the belt passes. Each pulley 51 is rigidly xed tothe shaft 41 on which the pulley 23 of drive unit 6 of section A is alsorigidly iixed, to cause the belts 46 to be driven by the belt of sectionA. Each belt 46 travels out of the lower end `of its tubular carriermember 7 over an idler pulley 52 carried by bracket 24 fixed to thecarrier member, and up and around the pulley S1 to the channel 14 Ainthe upper surface of its tubular carrier member. The brackets 24 on thecarrier members 7 of section B rotatably engage the shaft 41, each suchbracket 24 having a journal block 42 in which an end of the shaft 41 isjournalled. These bearing blocks are mounted for limited transversemovement on brackets 53 rigidly xed to the side rails `2 of section Aand B, as shown in FIG- URE 5, to permit limited transverse movement ofthe shaft 41 as the ends of the carrier members move due to compressionof their supporting springs 29.

FIGURE 6 shows in perspective the ends of the carrier members 7 and thebelts 46 at the upper end of the inclined section B, as well as thedrive end of the drive unit 6 for the horizontal sect-ion C; it alsoillustrates a preferred means for maintaining a desired tension in thebelts of conveyor sections. Each carrier member 7 of 6 inclined sectionB rigidly supports an end bracket 24 rotatably engaging a shaft 55 thatis rotatably supported from the side rails 2 of sections B and C bymeans similar to that supporting shaft 41 in the structure of FIG- URE5.

A grooved pulley 56 is rigidly .mounted on the shaft S5 in the bracket24 at the end'of each carrier member 7 of section B so that the top runof the belt 46 leaving the carrier member passes over the pulley S6 anddownwardly to and under a lower roller pulley 57, then upwardly and overan idler pulley 25 journalled in bracket 24, and then into member 7.Idler pulley 57 is rotatably mounted on a bracket 58 having a downwardlyextending stud 59 that extends through a cross member 61 and has locknuts 62 on its end to provide an adjustable stop. Compression spring 63surrounding stud 61 bears against the lock nuts 62 and the underside ofthe cross member 61 to urge the pulley downwardly. Each downwardly urgedidler tension pulley 57 thus maintains a tension in its associated belt46, determined by the force exerted by its spring 63.

Section C` of the conveyor apparatus is similar to section A in that `itcomprises two side rails 2 rotatably carrying spaced conveyor wheels 5and supported at the desired elevated location by legs 4. Section Cincludes a drive unit l6 that is essentially identical to the drive unit6 of section A, comprising a tubular carrier member 7 (FIGURES 6 and 7)identical in cross section to carrier member 7 of section A and carryinga belt 65 identicalv in cross section to belt 10 of section A. Carriermember 7 of section C is mounted 4on cross members connected' to theside rails of the frame, by means resiliently urging it upwardly similarto that shown in FIGURE 5 as supporting carrier member 7 of section A.If desired, carrier member 7 of section C can be retractable to causethe upper run of its belt 65 to disengage from an article carried bywheels 5.

As shown in FIGURE 6, belt 65 of section C is driven by a pulley 66rigidly fixed to the shaft 55 that is rotated by the belts 46 of thedrive units of section B. A desired tension may be maintained in belt 65by causing the lower run of the belt to pass under a tension idlerpulley 57 that -is supported and urged downwardly by means similar tothat discussed previously in connection with the tension pulleys 57 ofbelts 4S of section B.

Sections C, D and E in combination illustrate how it is possible to makeright angle or other angular turns in a generally horizontal plane bylocating sections C and D at substantially 45, and sections D and E atsubstantially 45 in a generally horizontal plane. FIGURES 7 and 8illustrate the juncture between sections C and D which are disposed atapproximately 45?; the parallel side rails 2 carrying rotatable wheels 5of section C are joined at the desired angle to the parallel side rails2 carrying wheels S of section D, there being a'wide cross connectormember 67 between the parallel rail members of both sections at thejuncture, to which they are rigidly lixed. Cross member 6'7 alsorotatably supports two grooved idler pulleys 68 and 69 which rotateabout a common axis generally perpendicular to the conveyor planepassing defined by the tops of the wheels 5 and generally perpendicularto the surfaces 12 of the channels 14 of the tubular carrier membersthat carry the belt 65. As is shown in FIGURE 7, the upper run of thebelt twists as it passes around upper idler pulley 68 and then untwiststo resume its normal position as it passes to the following tubularcarrier member; the lower run of the belt twists 90 as it leaves onetubular carrier member to pass around the lower idler pulley andfuntwists to resume its normal position as it travels to the othertubular carrier member.

Furthermore, the width of the belt and the width of at least the upperidler pulley 68 are so related that, as shown in FIGURE 8, as the upperrun of the belt travels around upper idler pulley 68 its top edgeprojects above the top edge of the idler pulley which also is designedand mounted so that all top portions of the pulley and its mountingmeans lie substantially below the upper edge of the top run of the beltpassing over the pulley. Therefore, the desired change in belt directionls achieved while insuring a positive rictional engagement of the toprun of the belt with the article being conveyed as the article travelsbetween sections C and D.

The juncture between section D and section E is identical and requiresno further description.

Preferably a curved guard rail 71 (FIGURES 1 and 7) -is rigidly mountedadjacent the rails 2 on the outside of the turn to aid in causing thearticles to make the 90 turn.

In the -switch section shown in FIGURES 9 and l0, section E of theconveyor is generally similar in construction to sections A, C and D inthat it comprises two stationary side rails 2 carrying freely rotatablewheels 5 positioned as indicated in connection with the previouslydescribed sections, and a drive unit 6 resiliently mounted on crossmembers 3 between rails 2. This drive unit is essentially similar to thedrive unit described previously in connection with sections A and C inthat it comprises a tubular carrier member 7 of a cross sectionidentical to that previously described. The channel-shaped upper portionof the member 7 carries the top run of the belt 65, the lower run ofwhich returns through the tubular member, this belt being the same beltthat travels through sections C and D. This tubular carrier member islmounted on cross members 3 and resiliently urged upward by means likethat previously described. If desired, means may be provided forretracting this carrier member 7, such as those-described in connectionwith section A. The belt 65 of section E travelsl from -upper channel 14to the inner channel of carrier member 7 over an idler pulley 7,1mounted on a shaft 72 that is rotatably carried by the side rails 2 ofsection E and rotatably engaged by the bracket 24 ixed to the end of`tubular carrier member 7. This pulley thus carries the belt in closevicinity to the switching sections F and F".

Section F comprises a stationary portion 73 and a movable portion 74pivotally connected thereto. Stationary portion 73 includes xed parallellongitudinally extending side rails 2 connected rigidly together bycross members 3 and carrying spaced article-supporting rollers 5.Movable portion 74 comprises spaced parallel side rails 75 and 76pivotally connected by pins 77 to the side rails 2 of the stationarysection.

'Side rail 75 of the movable portion is shorter than side rail 76 toclear the corresponding rail of section F" while side rail 76 is longenough to approach closely the adjacent side rail of section E. Siderails 75 and 76 are connected together by cross members 78 and 79 toprovide a rigid, pivotally movable structure. The end cross member 79,which preferably is angled as shown so that it extends close to the freeends of the rails 75 and 76 while clearing the other switch section F,is connected to a member 81 for moving the pivote-d switch portion 74 toan uppermost position in which its rollers can carry the article beingconveyed, and to a lower position shown by broken lines in FIGURE l inwhich switch section F' is inoperative to convey an article. Member 81may be part of conventional manually or power actuated means'.

The drive unit 82 for switch section F (FIGURE. 9) comprises a tubularcarrier member 7 identical in cross section to the tubular carriermembers previously described. One end of this tubular carrier member 7projects close to the end of the drive unit of section E and carries abracket 83 rotatably supporting an idler pulley 84. Tubular member 7carries a belt 85 so the upper belt run passes over the channel-shapedupper portion of the carrier member and the lower belt run passesthrough the carrier member. The belt is driven 3 of the stationarysection, by resilient means such as I that shown in FIGURE 5. When themovable portion 74 of the switch is moved down to its inoperativeposition the drive unit 82 is carried with it to a location where thetop run of its belt cannot engage an article being conveyed to theswitch, while when the movable switch portion is in its uppermostposition the carrier member 7 of unit 82 is also in its uppermostposition and the top r-un of the -belt carried therefore can engage anarticle traveling through the switch. Movable switch portion 74 also hasrigidly fixed thereto an extension member 86 carrying additional wheels5 that aid in supporting the conveyed article when the movable conveyorportion 74 is carrying the article.

Conveyor switch section F is similar to switch section F except forvchanges necessitated by the fact that conveyor section F extends in adifferent direction. Therefore, conveyor section F also includes astationary portion 73 and a movable portion 74 pivotally ccnnectedthereto. This movable section has rails 75' and 76 of ditferent lengths,carrying wheels 5 projecting above the rails to carry the load when thesection is in its raised position, cross members 78' and 79 to form arigid structure with the side rails, and means 81' attached to the endcross member 79 for raising and lowering the unpivoted end of movableportion 74'. It valso includes a drive unit 82' identical with andmounted identically to drive unit 82 of the switch section F',comprising a tubular carrier member 7 slidably support- -ing a poweredbelt. Movable section 73 also rigidly supports an extension 86 carryingwheels 5 to aid in supporting the article conveyed through the switchwhen movable portion 73 is in its load-carrying position. Extensionmembers 86 and S6 of the movable portions of sections F and F' areconstructed to clear the drive Iunits vand other psrts of the otherswitch sections, as is apparent from FIGUREI 10.

The belts 85 and 85 of the sections F' and F are driven by suitablemeans, such as any one of those previously described.

To switch an article from section E to section F, the movable member 74of section F is raised to its loadcarrying position shown in full linesin FIGURE 10 and the movable member 74 of section F" is lowered to itsinactive position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 10. The belt 65 ofdrive unit 6 of section E and the belt 85 of drive unit 82 of .section Fare rotated so their upper runs travel in the directions indicated bythe arrows in FIGURE 9. Of course, the belts could be moved so their topruns move in the opposite direction, -to cause an article traveling onsection F' to be switched onto section E.

By lowering movable portion 74 of section F to the inactive positionshown in broken lines in FIGURE 10 and raising the movable section ofsection F to the upper position shown in full lines in FIGURE 10, and bymoving the belts 65 and 85 in the proper directions, it is possible tocause an article traveling on section E toward section F to switch ontosection F; and conversely by reversing the direction of the belts it ispossible to cause an article traveling on section F" to switch tosection E.

If desired, suitable curved guard rails, not shown, may be provided toassist the articles-in traveling in the desired directions.

It is obvious that in the illustrated embodiment, articles can be moveddown inclined section B rather than up as previously described; that adrive unit such as shown in FIGURE need not necessarily be employed inconnection with horizontal and inclined conveyor sections but may beemployed with two horizontal or two inclined sections, and that powermay be transmitted by the belts of the double drive units to the belt ofthe single drive unit. It is further apparent that the tensioningapparatus shown in FIGURE 6 need not be employed in connection with thetransmission of power from one set of belts to another, but may beemployed in systems in which all pulleys of the tensioning apparatus areidler pulleys; land that such tensioning apparatus need not be employedin connection with a combination of horizontal and inclined sections,but may be employed in connection with two inclined or two horizontalsections. It is further apparent that more than one drive unitcomprising the tubular member and a belt may be employed in horizontalsections of the conveyor, and that only one drive unit, or more than twodrive units, may be employed on inclined sections.

Furthermore, while for convenience the invention has been described inconnection with conveyor sections employing freely rotatable wheels, theinvention is also applicable to conveyors in which the wheels arereplaced by elongated rollers which carry the load, between or otherwiseadjacent which -rollers there may be one or more drive units of thecharacter illustrated.

These and other modifications of the illustrated embodiment will beapparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended that the patentshall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whateverfeatures of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

I claim:

1. A conveyor comprising a frame; article-conveying rollers rotatablymounted on said frame to carry an article moving along said conveyor;driving means adjacent said rollers comprising a carrier member having atubular wall the upper wall portion of which denes an upwardlyopenexternal channel having a continuous longitudinallyextending externalupwardly-facing belt-supporting surface bordered by continuouslongitudinally-eliteriding shoulders for guiding a belt runlongitudinally on said carrier member in said external channel, thelower wall portion of said carrier member defining an internalupwardly-facing open channel below said external upwardly-facingbelt-supporting surface, and a narrow, thick, endless belt supported bysaid carrier member with its upper run slidably carried by said externalchannel of said carrier member with the upper portion of said upper beltrun projecting above said shoulders and guided longitudinally of saidcarrier member solely by sliding engagement of said belt run with saidexternal channel and with its lower run passing through said carriermember and slidably carried in guided relation in said internal channel;and means for supporting said carrier member in relation to said rollersso said upper run of said belt engages an article carried by saidrollers to move said article along said conveyor in the direction ofmovement of said upper belt run.

2. The article conveyor of claim 1 in which said driving means comprisestwo spaced parallel belts.

3. The article conveyor of claim 1 comprising means for maintaining apredetermined tension in the belt.

4. A conveyor comprising a frame; article-conveying rollers rotatablymounted 4on said frame to dene a conveying surface 'by their upperportions; driving means adjacent said rollers comprising a carriermember having a tubular wall the upper wall portion of which defines anupwardly-open external channel having a continuouslongitudinally-extending external upwardly-facing beltsupporting surfacebordered by continuous longitudinallyextending shoulders for guiding abelt run longitudinally on said carrier member in said external channel,the lower wall portion of said carrier member defining an internalupwardly-facing open channel below said external upwardly-facingbelt-supporting surface, and a narrow thick, endless belt supported bysaid carrier member with its upper run slidably carried by said externalchannel of said carrier member with the upper portion of said upper beltrun projecting above said shoulders and guided longitudinally of saidcarrier member solely by sliding engagement of said belt run with saidexternal channel and with its lower run passing through said carriermember andslidably carried in guided relation in said internal channel;and means for urging said carrier member upwardly so lthe upper run ofthe belt carried thereby normally projects above said conveying surface,said means permitting said carrier member to be moved downwardly byengagement of the upper run of said belt with an article carried by saidrollers to cause said article to be moved along said conveyor in thedirection of movement of said upper belt run.

S. The conveyor of claim 4 in which said means for urging said carriermember upwardly is resilient means.

6. The conveyor of claim 4 comprising means vfor drawing said carriermember away from an article carried by said rollers to disengage saidupper run of said belt lfrom an article carried by the rollers.

7. The conveyor of claim 4 comprising means for positively drawing saidcarrier member downwardly sufciently to move the upper run of said beltbelow said conveying surface.

8. A conveyor comprising a frame; article-conveying rollers rotatablymounted on said frame to define a conveying surface by their upperportions; driving means between said rollers comprising a carrier memberhaving a tubular wall the upper wall portion of which defines anupwardly-open external channel having a continuouslongitudinally-extending external upwardly-facing belt-supportingsurface bordered by continuous longitudinallyextending shoulders forguiding a belt rrun longitudinally on said carrier member in saidexternal channel, the lower wall portion of lsaid carrier memberdeiining an internal upwardly-facing open channel below said externalupwardly-facing belt-supporting surface, and a narrow, thick, endlessbelt supported by said carrier member with its upper run slidablycarried by said external channel of said carrie-r member with the upperportion of said upper belt run projecting abve said shoulders and guidedlongitudinally of said carrier member solely by sliding engagement ofsaid belt run with said external channel and with its lower run passingthrough said carrier member and slidably carried in guided relation insaid internal channel; and means for supporting said carrier member inrelation to said rollers so said carrier member is urged upwardly so theupper run of the belt carried thereby normally projects above saidconveying surface, said means permitting said carrier member to be moveddownwardly by engagement of the upper run of said belt with an articlecarried by said rolle-rs to cause said article to be moved along saidconveyor in the direction of movement of said upper belt run.

9. The conveyor of claim 8 in which said means urging said carriermember upwardly is resilient means.

1t). A conveyor comprising a frame; article-conveying rollers rotatablymounted on said frame to define a conveying surface with their upperportions; driving means between said rollers comprising a carrier memberhaving a tubular wall the upper wall portion of which defines anupwardly-open external channel having a continuouslongitudinally-extending external upwardly-facing beltsupporting surfacebordered by continuous longitudinallyextending shoulders for guiding abelt run longitudinally on said carrier member in said external channel,the lower wall portion of said carrier member dening an internalupwardly-facing open channel below said externally upwardly-facingbelt-supporting surface, and a narrow, thick, endless belt supported bysaid carrier member with its lupper run slidably carried by saidexternal channel of said carrier member with the upper portion of saidupper belt run projecting above said shoulders and guided longitudinallyof said carrier member solely by sliding engagement of said belt runwith said external channel and with its lower run passing through saidcarrier member and slidably carried in guided relation in said internalchannel; and means for supporting said carrier member and for moving itfrom a position in which the upper run of the belt carried therebyprojects above said conveying surface to a position in which the upperrun of said belt is below said conveying surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,209,021 12/1916Phillips 198-82 1,598,099 8/1926 Murray 198-130 Shepherd 198-198`Anderson 193--36 Hohl 198-190 Eggleston 198-127 Hubbell 198-204lSehottelkotte 1934-36 Carlson 198-130 McKnight 198-160 Sweezey 198-160 MHUGO o. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiners.

1. A CONVEYOR COMPRISING A FRAME; ARTICLE-CONVEYING ROLLERS ROTATABLYMOUNTED ON SAID FRAME TO CARRY AN ARTICLE MOVING ALONG SAID CONVEYOR;DRIVING MEANS ADJACENT SAID ROLLERS COMPRISING A CARRIER MEMBER HAVING ATUBULAR WALL THE UPPER WALL PORTION OF WHICH DEFINES AN UPWARDLYOPENEXTERNAL CHANNEL HAVING A CONTINUOUS LONGITUDINALLYEXTENDING EXTERNALUPWARDLY-FACING BELT-SUPPORTING SURFACE BOREDED BY CONTINUOUSLONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING SHOULDERS FOR GUIDING A BELT RUN LONGITUDINALLYON SAID CARRIER MEMBER IN SAID EXTERNAL CHANNEL, THE LOWER WALL PORTIONOF SAID CARRIER MEMBER DEFINING AN INTERNAL UPWARDLY-FACING OPEN CHANNELBELOW SAID EXTERNAL UPWARDLU-FACING BELT SUPPORTING SURFACE, AND ANARROW, THICK, ENDLESS BELT SUPPORTED BY SAID CARRIER MEMBER WITH ITSUPPER BELT RUN SLIDABLY CARRIED BY SAID EXTERNAL CHANNEL OF SAID CARRIERMEMBER WITH THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID UPPER BELT RUN PROJECTING ABOVESAID SHOULDERS AND GUIDED LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CARRIER MEMBER SOLELYBY SLIDING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID BELT RUN WITH SAID EXTERNAL CHANNEL ANDWITH ITS LOWER RUN PASSING THROUGH SAID CARRIER MEMBER AND SLIDABLYCARRIED IN GUIDED RELATION IN SAID INTERNAL CHANNEL; AND MEANS FORSUPPORTING SAID CARRIER MEMBER IN RELAITON TO SAID ROLLERS SO SAID UPPERRUN OF SAID BELT ENGAGES AN ARTICLE CARRIED BY SAID ROLLERS TO MOVE SAIDARTICLE ALONG SAID CONVEYOR IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID UPPERBELT RUN.